The silence in the Den after Zane collapsed was suffocating. Dust still hung in the air, floating like ghostly ash after the battle. Jack stood over the unconscious crime lord, chest heaving, mask tilted slightly from the sweat dripping down his face. His heart pounded against his ribs like war drums, but he ignored it. He had won. Zane the Viper was down.
The system chimed, notifications waiting at the edges of his vision, but Jack forced himself to push them aside. Not now. Not yet. There would be time later to look at shiny numbers and rewards. For now, there was only one task left: get this bastard out.
Jack grabbed Zane by the collar, dragging him toward the surface. Almost immediately, his arms began screaming in protest. Zane wasn't just heavy. He was built like a walking slab of muscle and sinew, and every ounce of him felt twice as heavy in Jack's exhausted state. Sweat dripped down Jack's brow as he muttered through clenched teeth.
"You weigh more than a collapsed building, bastard… Did you swallow a cinder block for breakfast?"
No answer, of course. Zane remained limp, head lolling against Jack's shoulder.
Step by step, Jack trudged forward through the dark, stale tunnels of the Den. The air reeked of mold, sweat, and blood, clinging to his lungs. Every breath felt like inhaling poison. His chest burned with the lingering sting from Zane's claws, and his shoulders trembled under the strain. But he kept moving.
Finally, the blackness gave way to a faint glow. A sliver of moonlight broke through the mines cracked wooden beams. Jack emerged at last from the suffocating dark and stumbled out into the night.
Cool air slapped his face. He stopped in his tracks and tilted his head back, drawing in a long, deep breath. It was the first real air he had tasted in what felt like hours :fresh, cold, alive. His chest expanded, savoring it. For a fleeting moment, it was like surfacing from deep underwater.
"…That's better," he whispered, almost to himself.
But the relief was fleeting. His arms ached so badly it felt like his muscles might rip away from the bone. His fingers were stiff, joints screaming. He shifted Zane's weight, groaning under his breath.
The walk back to the surface wasn't silent. Neon City was never silent. Jack's figure drew eyes almost instantly. First from the stragglers at the edges of the alleys, then from shopkeepers, gamblers, and drunks spilling out of backstreet clubs. Conversations stopped. Bottles were set down mid drink.
They all stared.
The Viper. Bloodied, unconscious. Carried on the back of a stranger cloaked in shadows and steel.
"Is that… Zane?" someone whispered.
"No way… The Viper doesn't lose."
"He's breathing, but… who the hell could've done that?"
Word spread faster than wildfire. By the time Jack had walked two blocks, whispers had transformed into full on murmurs. Some people backed away, others trailed behind at a distance, following like he was parading a corpse.
The birth of a legend wasn't loud. It was quiet, insidious, like a rumor weaving itself into the bones of a city. And tonight, Jack West became that rumor.
Zane stirred on his back, groaning. His voice was gravel, weak but bitter.
"…Put me down. I can walk."
Jack nearly laughed out loud. "Gladly. Carrying you's been the worst part of my night."
He let Zane drop unceremoniously onto his feet. For a moment, it seemed like the crime lord would comply. Then, with a sudden twist, Zane spun around, claws flashing. The sharpened tips raked across Jack's chest before he could dodge.
"Tch!"
Red splashed against the night air. Jack stumbled back, clutching his ribs as his HP bar flickered, shaving off a good chunk.
HP:55/125.
The burn of poison laced through his veins, though diluted by Zane's bound state.
"Cheap shot," Jack hissed through gritted teeth.
Zane smirked, but his hands were still tied tight behind his back. He tried to stagger forward, but his pace was sluggish, clumsy. His strength had drained with the loss of blood and the exhaustion from their fight. He wouldn't get far.
Jack blurred. One blink, and he was in front of Zane.
"Try that again, and I'll break both your legs."
His foot snapped forward with brutal precision, slamming into Zane's nose. A sickening crack echoed down the alley as blood burst from the Viper's face. Zane toppled like a sack of bricks, crumpling unconscious to the ground once more.
Jack shook his head and sighed. "…Guess it's back to carrying you. Seriously, what do you eat? Cement? Reinforced steel?"
Groaning, he hefted Zane back over his shoulder, his body protesting the weight all over again. Step by step, he pressed forward, weaving through the streets with the unconscious crime lord.
By the time he reached the bounty station, half the block knew who he was or at least what he had done. His entrance drew every pair of eyes in the room.
Enforcers in crisp black uniforms, their weapons polished and gleaming with high grade modifications, froze at the sight. Rifles, shock batons, plasma pistols;all tech that made Jack's blood itch with envy. If he had half of that gear, the fight against Zane would've been ten times easier.
Jack dropped Zane onto the tiled floor with a dull thud.
The officer in charge, a middle aged man with a scar running down his jaw, stared at the unconscious Viper and then at Jack. His eyes widened with disbelief.
"You… You're just a kid."
Jack tilted his head slightly, the mask hiding his smirk. "I get that a lot."
The room buzzed. Enforcers muttered among themselves, disbelief and awe mingling in their voices. Jack ignored them, stepping forward until he was toe to toe with the desk.
"I believe there's a bounty for this one."
The officer snapped out of his daze. "Yes, yes, of course. But… official identification is required before payout."
Jack's body stilled. His voice turned sharp, cold.
"That won't be necessary."
The room went silent. Every enforcer froze, eyes bouncing between the boy in the mask and their superior. The officer hesitated, chewing on his words.
A long, heavy pause. Then, reluctantly, he nodded. "…Fine."
He reached under the desk, pulled out a secure case, and counted out the bounty payment in gleaming credits. The case was heavy when it landed in Jack's hands.
"Be careful with that," the officer said, lowering his voice. "And… do you have a name?"
Jack paused. The room waited. His mask caught the light as he tilted it slightly.
"You'll find out… if we meet again."
The officer exhaled slowly. "…At least consider becoming an Enforcer. With skills like yours, you'd be an asset."
Jack shook his head. "Not interested."
And without another word, he turned on his heel, feet sweeping as he walked out into the night.
The whispers started immediately.
"That's him;the one who took down Zane."
"A ghost in a mask…"
"A legend's being born."
Jack ignored them all, breathing in the fresh air once more. His arms still ached, his chest burned from the poison slash, and his body screamed for rest. But he was alive. Victorious.He immediately pulled off a fast set of blink steps successfully dazing the crowd and getting away;there was no way these people were finding out where he lived.
Back in his rented motel room, the watch on his wrist pulsed faintly. The system pinged once more, its voice calm and mechanical:
"New target identified. High-priority criminal located."
Jack leaned back against the wall, tilting his head toward the ceiling. "…Guess there really is no time to rest.The city never sleeps; who am I to defy it's order of command and with that he opened his watch interface;eyes scanning over large bulks of information in a second.